Against Forgetting
by FilleDeZombi
Summary: Sometimes a story can change for different reasons, as can a life. Looking back, Ed must have known his life would be better because of her. Ed/OC


Title: Against Forgetting

Chapter: Look. New sprouts push through the fields.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Fullmetal Alchemist_.

So, this story has emerged from a dark place of pure procrastination, I already have another fanfic going, and I have my own books deadlines to meet… I'm so behind. Oh well.

I have had this story idea in my mind for years and I think about my character all the time. The Elrics and FMA have been a deep love of mine since my childhood, and they have pulled me out of some dark spots. I think this is probably the best way for me to pay tribute to such a passion project. I love FMA, and for a long time I didn't feel qualified to even touch the characters that helped me so much. I think I need to get this off my chest, and into a place of enjoyment. This will be an OC story; I hope you enjoy.

-FDZ

 _"_ _Human kind cannot obtain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be that world's one and only truth."_

Beth was happy. That was how people in Central would describe the young girl if they knew her at all. She was a happy thirteen-year-old who managed herself well, and to her credit mostly ran her own business successfully. She was a baker, and thought by most people as "the best gosh darn baker that the east-side of Central had ever seen."

People visited her bakery partly to purchase and consume her delicious baked goods, and to see the sunny disposition of the heavenly girl themselves. People gossiped that the girl was blessed by the gods. The average Amestrian features, blond hair and blue eyes, looked better on her than most. Her hair was shinier and her eyes brighter than others. She greeted every patron of her business with kindness and respect, not discriminating based on size, race, sex or military status. All were welcome, and the patrons respected the establishment enough to hold back any violence or vulgarity in her bakery.

So, when she laid eyes on a boy around the same size and age as her, paired with a massive suit of armor, she followed through on her greeting. She looked at the golden-haired boy, smiled, and said "Welcome, what can I get for you today?"

The boy turned to her and seemed startled by her greeting. After all, Edward Elric hadn't heard a kind, sonorous greeting from anyone since his mother had passed away years ago. He was so startled by her greeting, that the girl turned from him to his brother seeking an answer to her question.

"Oh, we don't need anything miss. We were told to meet someone here," he replied, waving his large metal arms back and forth in front of him.

"Are you new to Central?" she asked them, leaning her elbows onto the clean, wooden counter in front of her.

"Yes, we're meeting someone to lead us to the home we will be staying in," he replied.

"Oh, Gracia said two boys would be coming by to meet Maes. Any friends of the Hughes' are friends of mine. Pick anything you want from the case," she said gesturing to the large glass case filled with baked goods, "It's on the house."

"Thank you miss, but I just had breakfast," the armor responded.

Beth nodded her head, her blond locks slightly jostling from their position in her high pony tail. "How about you?" she said, looking back to the golden-haired boy.

The boy was pulled out of his momentary trance and looked over to the case. "Do you have apple pie?" he asked.

Beth was slightly surprised by the pleasant tone of the boy's voice. He looked like his voice would be higher for his age.

"I just made some this morning," she smiled as she walked to the case and began slicing a piece for the young boy.

"You made it yourself?" the boy asked.

"I sure did, this is my bakery after all."

"Wow, you must be really talented to run a bakery at your age," the armor exclaimed, slightly envious that his brother got to try a piece of the pretty girl's pie.

"Well, the Hughes' help me with the more technical side of things. They were friends of my parents before they passed. Gracia helps me bake and run the place most days, but she's on leave since she is going to be a mom soon," Beth said placing the slice of pie on a hand painted green plate. She held it out to the boy across the counter.

"Thanks. I'm Edward Elric. This is my younger brother Alphonse."

"Nice, to meet you. I'm Elizabeth Darling, but call me Beth. Feel free to come back to my bakery anytime," she said, flashing one of her dazzling smile to the boys in front of her.

Ed quickly looked away from the girls and down at his pie when he felt blood threaten to rise to his cheeks, she hadn't questioned that he was the older brother making him feel slightly more validated than usual. He quickly sat down at a table near the large, clean windows at the front of the store. His brother followed, amused at the scene that had unfolded in front of him.

It wasn't too long after Edward finished his ("that was seriously delicious") pie that the peaceful atmosphere of the bakery was broken by the entrance of the exuberance of Maes Hughes. When Beth saw him, she immediately walked over to the glass case and prepared him an apple tart.

"Welcome back Maes," she called extending a blue, hand painted plate with the tart to the man.

"Why thank you my dear. Aren't you looking positively radiant today!" the man said, accepting the tart and shoving it in his mouth. "Ish as ood as eber," he said with his mouth full.

The girl giggled at the man's antics. While most grew deflated at the man's never ending positivity, Beth loved being around him. He was a bright spot that shooed away the dark clouds that often threatened to invade her mind.

"Edward and Alphonse are seated over there waiting for you," she said, pointing toward the brothers.

"Yes, well it was good to see you Beth. Come over for dinner soon, we'd love to have you," he said after swallowing his piece of tart.

"Of course, see you later then," Beth said to the man, waving her hand. Hughes made his way over to the pair and sat down at their table with them.

"Nice to see you again boys! I see you met the lovely Beth, isn't she the most precious thing you've ever seen?" he asked, waving his arms in the air, "Not only is she beautiful, she bakes food so utterly delicious, the angels would weep while consuming it. She is a special girl, yes she is!"

"Woah, calm down Major. You're supposed to take us to Shou Tucker's place, right? The Sewing Life Alchemist, at least that's what the Colonel said. We're kinda getting impatient, so we want to get there as fast as we can," Ed said, uncomfortable with the man's exuberance.

"Let me finish up my tart, and we'll get going."

Ed sighed at the statement and got up from the table. He picked up his empty plate and fork, and brought them to the counter. Beth wasn't standing there like she was when they walked in, so waited there for her to come out from the back room.

"Sorry were you waiting long?" the blond girl said as she emerged from the kitchen. This time, both teens were struggling to hold back their rising blush. Beth could admit to herself that she thought that the boy was cute. His sun-kissed skin and big golden eyes made her heart beat more quickly

"No, I just wanted to return the plate," he said, running his gloved hand through his wild bangs, looking to the side to hide his embarrassment. "The pie was really good."

Beth could do nothing to keep the blush from her face any longer. "Thank you so much. It's my mom's recipe so that means a lot."

"Heh, moms are pretty good at baking after all," Ed said, smiling wistfully at the memory of his mother's pie. It had been so long since he had tasted anything that could compare to her food.

"Your mom bakes good pie then?" the girl asked.

"Yeah. She did." Beth understood the longing in his voice. She too had lost her mom, and her dad in a car accident a few years ago.

"Hey, Ed, ready to go," Hughes called to the boy.

"Yeah, I'm coming," he called back. He turned back to Beth, slightly reluctant to leave so quickly. He found that he liked the feeling of being around her, it was calming. "Thanks, again. We'll come back for sure," Ed said.

"Please do," she said. "Maes, tell Nina I said hi."

"Sure will. See you later Beth," the man said before exiting the bakery with the brothers.

"Nina?" Ed questioned as they followed Hughes down the street to his car.

"She's Mr. Tucker's daughter. They go to the bakery often and I think Beth babysits her sometime," Maes said.

Ed smiled, thinking about the blond girl he met, momentarily forgetting why is was so important that he was in Central in the first place.

"Are you ready brother?" Al asked, as they had just taken another step toward their goal.

"Yeah. I promise you Al, that I will find a way to get our bodies back."

Alone in the bakery, Beth contemplated the Elrics. The large suit of armor that was Alphonse could be no older than eleven, yet he stood at an intimidating height in a suit of metal. They both looked older than teens, their eyes were tired, but at the same time she could see fire. They were here in central to become state alchemists, that much she could put together from their manner and their housing with Mr. Tucker. But, there was something else she was missing. As she began wiping the bakery tabled of any crumbs and dust she looked paused to look out the big windows of the bakery.

"I wonder what they're looking for."

R&R


End file.
